PocketGear has recently grown with the acquisition of Handango and now they’re pivoting the company in a pretty radical direction. PocketGear is not only rebranding itself as Appia, but it’s changing the business model to be a white label commerce and content platform for major brands, carriers, OEM, and handset manufacturers who want to set up an app store. By focusing on this niche market, Appia will probably do a good job of helping developers navigate the carrier decks, but you have to wonder whether these channels are relevant in light of ubiquitous manufacturer app stores.

Coming out of the gate, here’s what Appia considers its main advantage over others in the space:
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Only true cross-platform, white label service that supports more than 2,500 devices in 30 different languages

Largest collection of free and paid apps (140,000+) across all major categories

Relationships with more than 50 top channel partners including 4 or the 5 top carriers in the U.S.

Distribution in more than 200 countries, reaching 100+M customers.

Hundreds of thousands of downloads a day – becoming the second largest independent app marketplace by mid-2011